Claude Swanson Eans, Ii

Claude Swanson Eans II, “Ozzie” to his friends, of Walkersville, MD passed away at the age of 84, on December 13, 2024. Ozzie was born on March 17, 1940 to Claude S. Eans and Dorothy Lee Eans (née Seymour) in Glen Morgan, WV. He graduated from Moundsville H.S. in 1958, and briefly attended West Virginia Institute of Technology before moving to Maryland to start his professional career.

Ozzie was a largely self-educated electronics technician and field engineer, initially working with radio and radar systems supporting the U.S. military and various U.S. Government organizations. This allowed him to make the most of his lifelong passion for radio communications and electronic systems. His career gave him the opportunity to live in various locations from Maryland to Florida, and to deploy in the field throughout the world. He eventually settled in Frederick County, Maryland and bought an established tree farm in Walkersville, where he built his house and started his own electronics company, CSE Associates, in the 1980s. As the owner, salesman, and marketing representative for various communication equipment companies, he provided electronic equipment and related support to the US and various foreign governments.

In 2005, he retired his electronics business and turned his focus towards managing his maturing tree farm, eventually becoming a volunteer member of the Maryland Forestry Board and Maryland Tree Farmer of the Year in 2013. Ozzie enjoyed sharing his knowledge of trees. He wrote numerous articles about trees for the local newspaper; volunteered locating, identifying and recording the largest examples of various species of native trees in the state; and shared his tree farm and knowledge with local Boy Scouts, helping them earn Forestry Merit Badges.

Throughout his life, he enjoyed playing guitar, especially with extended family and friends. He was active in competitive shooting sports and he had a great fondness for aviation. He held commercial and certified flight instructor licenses and at one time owned his own small airplane. He shared his love of flying with his sons, both of whom went on to become military and subsequently commercial airline pilots. Still, Ozzie’s first love was radio and he was an accomplished amateur radio operator. Callsign W3BNN, Ozzie received numerous awards and citations, and was ranked in the top radio operators in the world in several categories.

Ozzie was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Lee Knapp, and father, Claude S. Eans Sr. He is survived by his wife Pilar; son John Edward Eans, his wife Cynthia, granddaughters Jennifer R. Painter and Sarah Eans Hester, and great grandson Corbin James Painter; son Wesley Alan Eans and his wife Rena Allen; and five grown stepchildren, Mary, Juan, Claudia, Guillermo and María del Pilar.

Family and friends are invited to call at the Keeney and Basford Funeral Homes, P.A., 106 E. Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701 on Thursday, December 19, 2024, from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.. A funeral service will begin at 11:00 A.M. Interment at Resthaven Memorial Gardens will be at 1:00 P.M.